zanzusfandomcom-20200214-history
Mates and Mating
Mating? Yes, mating! Elementals, like humans, 'mate' for life. Their concept of mating is similar to ours of marriage, but they go about it in different ways. You know how we present our partners with shiny, overly expensive rocks? Well, they do that with less expensive things. Usually. How do they do it? Elementals often present their partners with objects with meaning. If an Elemental wants to mate with a gem Elemental, often the first elemental will present the gem Elemental with a rock. It doesn't have to be beautiful, it just has to be important, like a piece of concrete from a sidewalk they walk down every day or something like that. Traditions General Who follows who's tradition? When an earth Elemental wants to propose to a fire Elemental (which would rarely happen due to the element's history, but still-) the earth Elemental will have to follow the fire Elemental's tradition. Basically, whoever is proposing has to follow their mate's tradition. Polyamory Water When proposing to a water Elemental, you have to present them with an object with special meaning. If it's store-bought, it can't be bought within the last six months and it has to have some sort of date attached to it (such as a first kiss, first gift given, etc.). Any item presented has to have some kind of meaning to it that both parties understand, but it can be a bit more subtle, like you have to have it explained but once you know, you know. They value loyalty over all other traits in a relationship, so when you present them their object, you must recite a speech involving the following lines; "NAME, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. You mean so much to me, and I would never leave you for a perfect mate, because perfect isn't you. I love your flaws, your weaknesses, everything about you is so special." It's viewed as lazy to leave the speech at that, and you may even get rejected over it, but that's uncommon. Ice Plant Rock Gem Gem Elemental traditions are much more like human traditions in the sense that they present their desired mate with a shiny rock. However, this is only if one gem is presenting to another. Air Air Elemental mating traditions are like bird things. They will usually dance to court their mate, though it's done in a different way. When one wishes to mate with an air Elemental, they must invite the air Elemental to dance. This is why you'll rarely see air Elementals dancing with anyone and why there aren't any clubs/school dances on Airplix. Dancing is a way to invite them to be your life-long mate. Not something you want to accidentally do. One may wonder how they appreciate music, they sing. A lot. They're known to have an excellent vocal range. And, usually, an item is presented before they are asked to dance. Lightning Fire Fire Elemental traditions involve fighting, but not with other Elementals. The proposer is supposed to catch some kind of large creature, such as Zephyruns, which can be found only on Dritura and Falecea. After they've killed the animal, they're supposed to cook it, season it, etc. and give it to the proposee. This rarely happens because really, almost no other Elementals would want to mate a fire Elemental. Those that do, their desired Fire Elemental are generally not like most fire Elementals in that they're highly aggressive, rude, and generally not desirable for other Elementals. Light Psychic Archangel Shadow Undead Devil Devil Elementals often rely on brute force during fights, and a lot of their "culture" revolves around following the most powerful Elemental in the room. Because of this, it is customary to, when proposing, to either overpower the Devil or let them overpower you. The latter doesn't typically go well, since you don't usually tell the Devil you're trying to propose and just have to piss them off until they pin you on the ground or the wall or something. Most Devils will follow this tradition, but some do not. When they don't, it's common for them, upon coming into a pre-mated partnership, to say something along the lines of "I don't follow the Devil mating tradition, I follow Tradition"Category:Their World Category:Lore